Rose Giacalone is a personal shopper at Fashion Valley’s Macy’s, one of many local stores offering the service for free. HOWARD LIPIN • U-T

Shopping like the rich and famous no longer requires you to be wealthy or even a red carpet regular. All you have to do is tap into one of department stores’ best-kept secrets: personal shoppers.

At stores like Macy’s and Nordstrom, squads of trained fashionistas can search the store to find you the best-fitting pants, coordinate head-to-toe ensembles, scout the sales with you in mind and even take charge of your gift list. And the most surprising part — the service is free.

Personal shoppers aren’t just a convenience for the pampered or “ladies who lunch” crowd. Today, busy moms, recent college grads competing in the job market and an increasing number of men with an innate aversion to shopping are taking advantage of the complimentary service.

“I don’t like spending a lot of time in stores, so when I found about this service, I said, ‘This is for me,’ ” said Donell Johnson, a 42-year-old aviation industry manager from Mission Valley.

He has used Macy’s By Appointment personal shopping service for about four years to purchase everything from business suits and ties to sunglasses and a watch. “Maurice (Norris, Macy’s personal shopping manager) has gotten to know what I like. I’ll call him and tell him I need a couple of dress shirts and he’ll have 10 waiting for me in the fitting room, all different styles and fabrics. All I do is show up.”

Even if you enjoy shopping and have great style sense, sometimes you just don’t have the time to pull it all together. That’s when you send out a personal shopper SOS, as Christine Hutchens of El Centro did recently.

“I was so busy planning a family cruise and my son’s wedding in Aruba, that clothing was the last thing I had time to think about. So, I just called the personal shoppers (at Macy’s Fashion Valley) and told them I was on my way,” said the 61-year-old retired schoolteacher. “When I got there, the dressing room was filled with all kinds of lightweight clothing in my size and my colors and all I had to do was try things on.”

Besides saving time and angst, it’s the personal shopper’s duty to help the style-challenged, those who don’t know a blazer from a bolero. Sometimes it takes the nudge of a personal shopper to get people out of their fashion rut.

“Some clients use our service to get outside their comfort zone or bubble,” said Kelly McPheters, a personal shopper for Nordstrom Fashion Valley, where they prefer to be called “personal stylists.”